For the last few weeks, Microsoft has been trying to build an iPod-style whispering campaign around a new product, code-named "Origami." No one would say exactly what it was, but a "leaked" video seemed to show a Tablet PC-style device, larger than a Palm or PocketPC, capable of surfing the web, playing games, and playing music. People were intrigued, but the inevitable question was "Isn't that just a Tablet PC in the end - a form factor which has completely failed to catch on?"
Well, now we have it from the horse's mouth. Origami is the "Ultra Mobile PC". Basically, it is smaller than a Tablet PC and larger than a PocketPC - aproximately 7 inches for the screen - with only a screen for input. It runs a "full" version of Windows XP, and accepts stylus and finger input. It has bluetooth and 802.11b/g built in, for wireless communication. The idea is that it is a computer you can take with you - like a student's notebook - to fill the nice of both low-end laptop and iPod.
Frankly, I have seen this form factor before in an old tablet PC I picket up on eBay several years back. IT seemed like a GREAT idea. Surf the web from the couch, small form factor for traveling, etc. Problem is (as Blackberry proved) a keyboard really is the best method of entry for e-mails and other text-based input. And the iPod size is about right for an always-with-you device. Thus, the UMPC is stuck in a space that is not optimal for any one function. Of course, that is the idea for a "converged platform" - the best compromise for the max functionality.
It could work. But color me skeptical. I think we'll find most folks gravitating up to a laptop, and down to an iPod/PocketPC/Blackberry, with only a few (mostly in Japan) finding the UMPC hitting the sweet spot.
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